THE HEART OF THE MATTER

Structure and Function of the Heart

5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE
HEART
 Each day, your heart beats
100,000 times.
 Each minute, your heart
pumps 1.5 gallons of blood.
 Heart disease is the #1 cause
of death.
 A normal heart valve is about
the size of a half dollar coin.
 The largest heart ever
recorded belonged to a grey
whale.
FUNCTIONS OF THE HEART
 Pumps oxygenated and
nutrient-rich blood to
the body through blood
vessels
 Pumps deoxygenated
blood, containing
wastes, to the lungs,
where gas exchange to
the outside environment
occurs
ANATOMY OF THE HEART
 Located under rib cage and
in between the lungs
 Size varies depending on
age, size, and condition of
the heart
 On average, the heart is
about the size of that
person’s clenched fist
FOUR CHAMBERS OF THE HEART
 Right Atrium  Left Atrium
 Right Ventricle  Left Ventricle
ATRIA SEPTUM
 The upper two chambers  Muscle that divides the
of the heart heart into right and left
 Receive and collect halves
blood

VENTRICLES
 The lower two
chambers of the
heart
 Pump blood out of
the heart
 VALVES

 4 Heart Valves
 Tricuspid Valve
 Pulmonary Semilunar
Valve
 Mitral (Biscuspid)
Valve
 Aortic (Semilunar)
Valve
 Purpose: prevent
backflow of blood,
keep blood flowing in
one direction
FLOW OF BLOOD
 1. Deoxygenated blood from the upper and lower body
flows through the superior and inferior vena cava.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 2. The superior and inferior vena cava empty blood into
the right atrium.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 3. Blood from the right atrium passes through the
tricuspid valve.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 4. Blood passes through the tricuspid valve into the right
ventricle.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 5. Blood from the right ventricle passes through the
pulmonary semilunar valve.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 6. Blood flows through the pulmonary semilunar valve
into the right and left pulmonary arteries.
 FLOW OF BLOOD

 7. Pulmonary arteries take

blood to the lungs for gas
exchange.
 In the lung capillaries,
blood picks up oxygen and
transfers carbon dioxide to
the lungs for exhalation.
 Blood becomes
oxygenated.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 8. Right and left pulmonary veins bring the blood back
to the heart.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 9. Pulmonary veins empty blood into the left atrium.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 10. The blood from the left atrium flows through the
mitral (or bicuspid) valve.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 11. After passing through the mitral valve, blood enters
the left ventricle.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 12. Blood from the left ventricle passes through the
aortic semilunar valve.
FLOW OF BLOOD
 13. After passing through the aortic semilunar valve, the
blood enters the aorta and is then pumped to the rest of
the body.
FLOW OF BLOOD IN ACTION

YouTube Video - How a Normal Heart

Pumps Blood
CIRCULATION
 Pulmonary circuit:
movement of blood from
the heart to the lungs and
back to the heart
CIRCULATION
 Systemic circulation:
movement of blood from
the body to the heart and
back to the body
 Why do you think the left
side of the heart is larger
than the right?
 Answer: Because the left
side has to pump blood
further!
CONTRACTION
 Systole - contract
 Atrial Systole: when the atria contract and pump blood into
the ventricles
 Ventricular Systole: when the ventricles contract and pump
blood out of the heart to the lungs or body

 Diastole - relax
 When the atria and ventricles relax and start to fill with blood
DID YOU KNOW?
 Did you know that even outside of the body, the heart
will continue to beat?
 Why do you think this is?

 This characteristic is called myogenic control.

 Each heart beat is caused by an electrical signal from

within heart muscle itself.
 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
 AKA the Cardiac
Conduction System
 Consists of three parts:
 1. Sinoatrial (SA) node
 2. Atrioventricular (AV)
node
 3. Bundle of His and
Purkinje fibers
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
 1. Electrical signal starts at the SA node as blood fills the
right atrium.
 Thissignal causes the atrium to contract.
 The SA node sets the pace of the heart, so it is also called the
pacemaker.
 2. Signal arrives at the AV node as blood fills the
ventricles.
 3. Signal moves along the Bundle of His and along the
walls of the ventricles.
 The Bundle of His divides into right and left branches and then
to Purkinje fibers.
 The ventricles contract.

 4. Signal passes and ventricles relax.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IN ACTION

YouTube Video - Electrical Co

nduction in Heart
EXAMPLES OF HEART
DISEASES/CONDITIONS
 Congestive Heart Failure
 The heart is too weak or stiff to pump blood effectively.
 Myocardial Infarction (Heart attack!)
 The coronary artery is blocked so blood cannot supply the
heart with oxygen, and heart muscle dies.
 Atrial Fibrillation
 Abnormal electrical impulses in the atrium cause irregular
heart beat.
WAYS TO PREVENT HEART DISEASE
 Don’t smoke or use tobacco
 Exercise 30 minutes a day

 Eat a heart healthy diet

 Fruits
 Vegetables
 Whole grains
 Nuts
 Fish
 No saturated or trans fats
REFERENCES
 http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hhw
/
 http://www.webmd.com/heart/picture-of-the-heart

 http://
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/i
n-depth/heart-disease-prevention/art-20046502
 http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2013/07/19-amazing-fac
ts-about-your-heart-infographic
/
3-2-1
 On a piece of notebook paper, write…
3 things you learned about the heart
 2 things you have questions about
 1 thing you wish for me to know